Swab cup assembly or packing element



y 1944. R. e. TAYLOR, JR

SWAB CUP ASSEMBLY OR PACKING ELEMENT 3 d v M B S \\x Fmuww 4 m 2 r O 4 9l 2 m a J d v m 7 9 8 m n, 7/// /7 w 7 W A 5 W WW .9 0 5 m W w 6 A M 3RY Z 2 w B U M. M

. ,arl fi/llllllrllllvflllrd ATTORNEY. I

Patented July 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SWAB CUP ASSEMBLY ORPACKING Raymond G. Taylor, In, Dalian Tex asslgnor to The GulbersonCorporation, Dallas, 'Iex. a corporatlon of Delaware Application January27, 1940, Serial No. 315,929

16 Claims. (01. 309-33) The object of this invention is to improved typeof swab cup.

As is well known in the art, swab cups are extensively employed in theoil well industry and are intended to seal thespace between the mandrelwhen being raised and the well casing so that the well fluid above theswab cup may be raised. The swab cup is, therefore, intended to make aseal-tight engagement with the well casprovide an ing. Rubber, DuPreneand other like substances which have been commonly employed in theconstruction of swab cups are generally employed for the reason thatthey will readily conformto Another 'form of the invention comprises thewithstand pressure or approximately 6,000

the well casing and they are yleldable. However.

as is well known, these substances will flow when under greatcompression and to prevent this flowing, various devices have been used.For instance, in Crickmer 1,669,812 a wire basketor cage was employedwhich would support the yieldable swab cup. However, experiences showthat the well fluid will leak past the wires forming such a cage whensubjected to heavy pressures. They are also used as a packing elementand when so used one cup faces upwardly and the other downwardly withthe mandrel perforated between the cups so that cement may be pumpeddown the tubing, through the perforations between the cups and thenthrough perforations in the casing and back into the formation. Thecups, in this case, do no swabbing but they are generally termed swabcups. On such a cement squeeze Job where the pressures run up to 3,000or 4,000 pounds per square inch itwas found that cups of the type shownin the Crickmer Patent 1,669,812 will leak around the wires. maintainthese high pressures. It was further found that if you omit the wiresthe cup will seal oil perfectly without any leakage up to about 2,000pounds per square inch but that a pressure in excess thereof would causethe cup to flow over the lower thimble and eventually rupture the cup.It is the object ofthis invention to pro- It was, therefore, verydifficult .to-

"with the swab cupfiprovided with reinforcing vide a supporting meansfor a swab cup or packing element which will prevent such a flow of thematerial of which the swab cup is composed by eflectively supporting thesame between the thimble and the well contacting portion of the swab andto provide the upper portion of the same with a continuous casingengaging portion which is free of wires around which the fluid mightleak. I eifectively accomplish this by making the support terminatebelow the top oi the swab and embedding the supporting member in theswab cup. In other words, the supporting wires do not run to the top ofthe swab but extend inwardly below the top thereof leaving an upper lipwhich by well pressure will be tightly sealed against the casing withoutany obstructing wires or other material.

pounds per square inch without flowing. I found that linen thread isentirely suitable for this purpose. .v

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thedetailed specification and claims which follow.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of one form of theswab and its assembly,

Fig. 2 is a similar view of one form of the swab cup and its assembly, h

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a structure similar to Fig. 2 but with theinner reinforcing member and the lower threaded ring omitted and withanother form of reinforcing cage- Fig. 41s a side elevational view incross-section of a modification of the structure shown in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view in cross-section threads,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the type of reinforcing wires used inthe structure shown in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the type of cage serving as thereinforcing member of the structure shown in Fig. 3. Such a cage mightbe also used in connection with the swabs shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4.

In Fig, 1" the mandrel l is provided with a shoulder 2 which receives adownwardly extending thimble 3. The mandrel is screw. threaded asindicated at 4 to receive an adjustable threaded sleeve 5 on which restsan upturned thimble 6. The swab l is\nested in the thimbles I and 6.

A wire support or reinforcing member 8 extends from within the thimblesfollowing the outer contour of the swab I and at its upper end is turnedinwardly as indicated at 9 within the upper thimble 3. By screwingupwardly on the threaded sleeve 5 the distortion of the swab may bevaried or adjusted.

In Fig. 2 the mandrel I0 is provided with a shoulder II and with screwthreads l-Z. A retaining nut 13 is screwed on the screw threads I 2 andsupports a thimble II; An open ended swab cup I! is nested in thethimble H. A sleeve 16 surrounds the mandrel i0 and at its upper endabuts against the shoulder II and at its lower end rests on the thimbleII. *It is provided with an outwardly extending apron or flange ll.

The sleeve i6 and flange I1 is substantially simi-' lar to the parts itand I! of the Crickmer Patent 1,735,264. Within the thimble It is aretaining ring it which, ii desired, may be rigidly secured to thesleeve 10 by welding or otherwise.

A reinforcing wire support I! has at its lower end a J-shaped extension20 adapted to engage the retaining ring is. The wire support restsagainst the upper inner surface of the thimble i4 and follows theoutside contour of the swab cup it, that is, it is provided with anoutwardly sloping part 2| so as to fit that part of the swab cupextending from the upper end or the thimble to the part engaging thewell casing 22 and thence having a vertically'extending portion 23 whichengages the well casing and serves as a bearing for the swab cup so asto eliminate much of the wear which would otherwise be imposed upon theswab cup. It will be noted from an inspection oi Fig. 6 that the supportIt consists of what would be in eiIect two wires united at the upper endby what in reality is one wire bent Q so as to form duplicateconvoiutions above described with a U-shaped part 24 at the upper end,which U-shaped part is bent inwardly and embedded within the swab cup,thereby leaving a lip 25 above and outwardly from the U-shaped part 24so that this lip portion forms a continuous and uninterrupted seal withthe well casing thereby preventing the leakage of well fluids downwardlypast the wire support. It will, therefore, be noted that this type ofswab cup is not only supported internally by the flange H but that thepart 2| eil'ectiveiy supports the swab cup so that it cannot flowdownwardly into the space between the thimble it and the well casing 22while the part '22 provides a bearing to take up the wear between theswap cup and the well casing and the lip 2s eflectively seals the upperportion 0! the swab cup so that no leakage could occur by well fluidpassing downwardly by the wires. Of course, it is understood that thewell fluid when the mandrel is raised is in the swab cup and above thesame 'and that it presses with great iorce depending upon the weight ofthe fluid or the force of the cement when used as a packer on a cementsqueeze job so as to expand the swab cup outwardly into contact with thewell casing, 'butii there would otherwise be any leakage. downwardlypast the wire support the lip 25 being in continuous engagement with thewell casing absolutely prevents such leakage. Such a swab cup has beentested up to approximately 6,000 pounds ,per square inch withoutnoticeable leakage.

In Fig. 3 the mandrel Ill, shoulder ll, sleeve l3 and thimble. is are ofidentical construction with the construction described in Fig. 2. Inthis ilgure the sleeve It and flange l1 are omitted but they may be usedif desired. Likewise, the sleeve It and flange I! may be omitted fromthe structure shown in Fig. 2. The essential diflerence between thestructure shown, in Fig. 2 and that shown in Fig. 3 is that a diflerentform of wire support is employed, the details oi which are shown in Fig.'1. This wire support 2! is preferably composed of a continuous wirewhich may have its ends united so as to make the wire continuous or incase the ends of the wire are not united it would not be continuous butwould be in one piece. Of course, if desired, it may be made in aplurality of parts according to the desire of the particularmanufacturer. This is in the 1' iorm=of a basket as is shown in Fig. Iwhich is nestedwithin the thimble I4 and extends on the outside oi theswab cup 21. A cross-sectional view of a contour of this wire'support issubstantially the same as that oi the wire support is as will be notedfrom a comparison of Figs. 2 and 3 except that at the lower end 01' thewire support 20 instead oi being provided with a J-shaped portion it isbent laterally to form a U-shaped portion 2' at the bottom thereof.These U-shaped portions 2s serve as the connecting means between'theupwardly extending portions of the basket. It would be noted that such abasket readily adapts itself to radial expansion except that the lowerportion is retained by the thimble I I so that this basket is as readilyexpanded radially as would be the wire support ll of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 4 the mandrel II is provided with a shoulder Ii and with theretaining nut it which supports the thimble l4. Resting in the thimblel4 and extending to the shoulder I i is a retaining ring 28 whichreceives an inwardly. bent portion 30 of a wire support II which wiresupport may be of the same construction as the wire support it oi Fig.2, except that instead of having the J-shaped lower portion, it isprovided with the inwardly extending bent portion It. The function oithe swab cup would be the same in Figs. 2, 3, and 4.

Fig. 5 is oi the same construction as shown in Fig. 3 except thatinstead oi the basket wire support a I insert in the swab cup as a mass0! thread 33 extending from the thimble II to the casing contactingportion of the swab cup. I have found linen thread to be particularlyuseful to: this purpose although I do not wish to limit myself to theparticular thread employed. The cup shown in Fig. 5 may also beprovided" with the wire supports shown in Figs. 8 and 7. These threadsdo not have to be laid lengthwise or crosswise or in any particularposition and I found it entirely satisfactory to use simply a mass ofthread extending in virtually every direction such as would be obtainedina tangled mass of thread. This thread is vulcanized into the swab cupitseli and forms an integral portion thereoi. It serves the importantfunction of preventing the downward flow oi the swab cup between thewell casing and 'the thimbl for it supports all that portion oi the swabcup between the thimble and the casing but it leaves the upper end ofthe swab cup entirely free to radially expand and to make a leak-tightengagement with the well casing. Such a type of swab cup has been testedup to which could be noticed.

It will, therefore, be noted that in Figs. 2, 3, 4,

and 5 the swab cup is readily radially expansible in its upper portionand makes a continuous and leak-tight engagement with the well casingwhile the swab cup is adequately and eilectively supported so as toprevent any downward flow of the swab cup between the thimble and thewell casing. In using the word casing I, of course, do not wish to limitmyself to well casing but I mean this term to be as broad as the wordpipe, for obviously, swab cups oi this type could be used to swab orpack of! in any type oi pipe regardless oi whether it is well casing ornot. It is also obvious that the sleeve it and the supporting flange llmay be used in connection with the structure shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5just as well as it could be used in connection with that shown in Fig.2. Likewise the wire basket shown in Fig. 7 could be used in connectionwith Figs. 2. 3,

the specific form of the invention shown by way of illustration hereinand I therefore desire to claim the same broadly except as I may limitmyself in the appended claims.

Having now described my invention I claim:

1. A cup assembly adapted to engage a well pipe including a cup. areinforcement for the cup embedded in the cup and supporting the lowerportion of the cup on the outside thereof up to a point beyond the pointof contact of the cup with the pipe. the-upper portion of the cup abovethe reinforcement being in direct and unbroken engagement with the pipe.

2. A cup assembly adapted to engage a well pipe including a cup.reinforcing wires embedded in the cup and extending from the lowerportion thereof and on the outside oi said cup to the point above wherethe cup would contact the pipe. the upper portion of the cup being indirect and unbroken engagement with the pipe 3. A cup assembly adaptedto enga e a well pipe includ ng a cup. a reinforcement for the cupextending along the outer. lower and intermediate part of the cu andbeing bent inwardly at its upper end and embedded in the cup.

4. A cu assembly adapted to en a e a well pipe includin a cup. a thimblein which the cup is nested. a reinforcement for the cu extendin alongthe outer. lower and intermediate part of the cup and being bentinwardly at its upper end and embedded in the cu the lower end of saidre nforcement bein within said thimble.

5. A cu assembly adapted to en a e a well pipe including a thimble. acup supported by the thimble. a wire reinforcement for the cup andsupporting the outer. lower and intermediate portion of the cup andforming a bearing between the cup and the pipe. said reinforcement beingthe cup and the lower portion of said wire reinforcement extendingdownwardly within the th mble.

-'l. A cup assembly adapted to engage a well pipe including a thimble. acup supported by the thimble, a radially expansible wire cage supportingthe outer. lower and intermediate portion of the cup and forming abearing between the cup and the pipe. said reinforcement be'ng bentinwardly a distance below the top of the cup and embedded within theupper part of the cup.

- 8. A cup assembly adapted to engage a well pipe including a cup. aretaining rin in the cup. a plurality of. substantially U-shaped wireshaving their lower ends bent so as to be held by the retaining ring andextending along the outer lower portion of said cup and having theirupper ends bent inwardly so as to be embedded in the cup.

9. A cup assembly including a thimble, a cur supported by the thimble, aretaining ring in the cup. a plurality of substantially U-shaped wipeshaving their lower ends bent so as to be held by the retaining ring andextending along the outer lower portion of said cup and having theirupper ends bent inwardly so as to be embedded in the cup. 7 1

10. A cup assembly adapted to engage a well pipe including a cup, acontinuous wire cage supporting said cup on the outer lower surfacethereof and having th upper portion of said cage bent inwardly so as tobe embedded in the cup.

11. A cup assembly adapted to engage .a well pipe including a cup, aradially expansible wire cage supporting said cup on the outer lowerportion of said cup and having the upper portion of said cage bentinwardly so as to be embedded in the cup.

12. A cup assembly including a thimble. a cup nested in the thimble, aradially expansible wire cage supporting said cup on the outer lowersurface thereof and having the upper portion of said cage bent inwardlyso as to be embedded in the cup and a fibrous material embedded in thecup within the cage.

13. A cup assembly adapted to engage a well pipe including a thimble, acup mounted within the thimble and a fibrous material embedded in theswab cup and extending from a point within the thimble to the part ofthe cup which would contact the well pipe and a wire cage supportingsaid cup and fibrous material on the outer lower portion of the cup andhaving the upper portion of said cage bent inwardly and embedded in thecup.

14. A cup assembly including a thimble. a cup nested in the thimble. anda fibrous material embedded in the cup and extending from. a pointwithin the thimble to anintermediate portion of the cup and a wire cagesupporting said cup and ilbrous material on the outer lower portion ofthe cup and having the upper portion of said cage bent inwardly andembedded in the cup.

15. A cup assembly adapted to engage a well pipe. including a supportingelement. an upwardly opening thimble on said supporting element, a cuphaving its lower end nested within the thimble and its upper portionbeing adapted to engage the well pipe, a flexibl reinforcement extendingfrom the part nested in the th mble to the pipe contacting part of thecup. and an expansible wire cage supporting said cup and reinforcementon the outer lower surface of the cup and having the upper portion ofsaid cage bent inwardly so. as to be embedded in the'cup.

16. A cup assembly adapted to engage a well 4 pipe. including asupporting element. an upwardly opening thimble on said supportingelement. a cup having its lower end nested within the thimble and itsupper portion being adapted to engage the well pipe and a reinforcementextending from the part of the cup nested in the thimble to the pipecontacting part of the cup. said reinforcement consisting of a fibrousmaterial and a null-- ally expansible wire cage supporting said cup andfibrous material on the outer lower surface of the cup and having theupper portion of said cage projecting inwardly so as to be embedded inthe cup a substantial distance below the upper extremity of the cup sothat the cup is provided with a flexible lip above the cage.

- RAYMOND G. TAYIDR, Ja.

